He saw the shimmering river water again; the sunlight was just right, making the surface of the river look so golden.
I understand, this must be the Death Goddess calling to me! As long as I jump, I can use the Any Door to travel to the distant shores. Ah, here I come!
After the boy finished speaking, he jumped straight down with a splash.
He jumped.
Jumped?
Jumped!
Chapter 84: Day Four of Literary Stream
Question: What do you do when a boy jumps into a river to commit suicide the very first time he meets you?
And the boy didn't hesitate for a single second, nor did he show any sign of hesitation; he just plunged straight down. The river was long and flowing steadily, yet not a single bubble rose from him, his arms rested peacefully against his abdomen, showing no sign of struggling at all.
Faced with this, what else could Sawada Tsunayoshi do when encountering such a problem? Naturally, he let out a scream, hurriedly told Nakahara Chuuya to stay on the bank and not move, then he plunged into the water as well.
Just like a long time ago, on that playful day, he jumped into the river to save Miura Shun, but back then he didn't have that courage; it was Reborn who helped him make the decision using a Death Bullet, whereas this time, it was an action taken by Sawada Tsunayoshi himself.
The river water was cold; those who lived on land were never accustomed to the currents below.
Sawada Tsunayoshi narrowed his eyes, searching for the figure of the boy in black.
What kind of mess is this? Why do I run into something like this the moment I come out? That guy can't be a Chuunibyou boy, can he?
Struggling to move through the water with his arms, he found the person with eyes tightly shut, allowing himself to slowly sink. The bandages were loosening slightly under the current, offering a glimpse of the unknown boy's exquisite face.
Sawada Tsunayoshi found him and struggled to reach out and pull the person into his arms.. well, he couldn't quite lift him, because he was smaller than the other.
Fine, changing tactics, Sawada Tsunayoshi unbuttoned his clothes and used his sleeves to tie the two of them together, then pulled their arms to swim upward.
He was reaching the limit of his breath-holding capacity.
As he swam, he suddenly felt a massive force pulling his body downward. Caught off guard, Sawada Tsunayoshi plunged suddenly, colliding with a pair of hollow, vacant eyes.
The owner of the eyes had opened them at some unknown moment, staring blankly at Sawada Tsunayoshi's movements, with not a trace of spirit within them.
Deep, dim, empty.
Facing Sawada Tsunayoshi's shocked expression, the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch, as if he wanted to laugh.
The grip on his hand didn't seem to weaken, holding Sawada Tsunayoshi without letting go.
Oh my god, I've run into a Chuunibyou boy! A total Chuunibyou boy!
Because he was holding his breath, a small bubble escaped from the corner of Sawada Tsunayoshi's mouth. Suddenly, a tin can struck him on the head, causing him to cough. River water rushed into his mouth, he felt the choking sensation of water filling his windpipe.
No, he had to get up quickly, otherwise they would all die.
Thinking this, flames surged from his palms, his eyes grew resolute.
Sawada Tsunayoshi's calm eyes met the boy's eyes directly, a hint of surprise flickered in the boy's eyes.
Sawada Tsunayoshi held the boy with one hand while pointing his other hand downward, flames erupting to propel them both upward.
Soon, the two of them appeared together on the riverbank. Sawada Tsunayoshi immediately set the person down and began coughing embarrassingly; the sensation of choking on water was unpleasant, his hair and clothes were soaking wet, leaving a damp patch on the ground.
This was quite the ordeal.
A hand reached out from the side and turned Sawada Tsunayoshi's face, causing him to look directly into the boy's inquisitive eyes.
Dazai Osamu carefully observed this strange child; he had a very ordinary appearance, though the coughing had left the corners of his eyes slightly flushed, with a few tears seeping out.
At this moment, the eyes shed that layer of cold pretense, becoming soft and rounded as they stared straight at him, staring at him, the killer who wanted to drive people to their deaths.
What was in those eyes?
Anger, confusion, distress, understanding, surprise, the joy of surviving a catastrophe, dissatisfaction with his actions.
Hmm, why is it different from what he thought?
This reaction is far too normal.
In Yokohama, being normal is sometimes also a form of abnormality.
Dazai Osamu thought this, tilting his head to the side and closing his eyes. "How boring, I've run into another meddler."
Sawada Tsunayoshi, who was shaking his head like a puppy, stopped and wondered if there was water in his ears: "What did you say?"
The boy let out a healthy-sounding voice: "I said you're a meddler, interrupting my perfect suicide plan. I could have returned to the embrace of the Death Goddess today, but it's all your fault for pulling me up. You're a bad person for destroying someone's dreams."
A bad person, him?
A question mark split into three above Sawada Tsunayoshi's head. What was this child talking about? He looked so serious; wasn't he just imitating something he saw on TV?
Are you serious?
Sawada Tsunayoshi couldn't help but let out a small, startled gasp. To want to commit suicide at such a young age—what on earth had he gone through?
"Were you being bullied at school?" Sawada Tsunayoshi asked cautiously, trying to find the cause, though the question wasn't particularly subtle.
No, I stopped going to school a long time ago.
That just makes the problem even bigger; what else can you do at this age if you aren't in school?
Then what about your family?
Ah, they're dead—no, that's not right, they're not all dead yet. They don't care about me anymore.
Friends?
"No." On the contrary, he had a whole bunch of subordinates.
Sawada Tsunayoshi felt that he had found the reason why he wanted to commit suicide; when a person's social connections are all severed, with no family and no friends, what pleasure is there left in life?
He racked his brains, using every cliché he had ever heard to comfort the other person: "Uh, look, there are still many beautiful things in the world. You're still young, so you don't understand the weight of life yet. We can find another way out. Look, the flowers by the roadside are so beautiful.."
The boy stared with lifeless eyes, Sawada Tsunayoshi could clearly sense the contempt emanating from them: "Are you trying to persuade me to make friends, go to school, or seek help from social welfare agencies? Are you going to tell me that flowers are beautiful, people are beautiful, scenery is beautiful, just to ramble on and tell me not to die?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi was left speechless by his words. "Don't you already know all that?"
Oh, how boring. You just keep saying the same few things. If someone truly wants to end their life, a few words aren't going to make them change their mind. Don't be ridiculous.
You can't wake someone who is pretending to be asleep, you can't wake someone who is already dead.
Sawada Tsunayoshi's eyes narrowed: "Are you pretending to be asleep, or are you dead?"
Dazai Osamu stuck out his tongue and playfully kicked his feet up. "Regrettably, neither."
Then what the hell are you talking about!
You think everyone gives a damn whether you're alive or dead? It's just that something happened right in front of my eyes and I couldn't just ignore it. If you weren't right in front of me, you'd see if I'd even bother with you!
Like hell it is; that statement was half-truth, half-lie.
Sawada Tsunayoshi spoke with annoyance, but the boy acted as if he had received some profound wisdom, saying with sudden realization, "So that's how it is! In that case, next time I'll go to a deserted place to hang myself. Thanks for that! I originally thought you were an idiot, but you're actually quite clever."
This person is truly beyond saving!
Sawada Tsunayoshi froze: "No, I was just talking nonsense just now, please don't try any of that, don't hang yourself in a place where no one is around, I mean, you should die in a place where people are."
What is he talking about?
Reborn will kill him, absolutely.
That person just waved and ran off like that, running away with a pitter-patter sound in his soaked clothes and soaked shoes.
Before leaving, he even gave Sawada Tsunayoshi his word: "Don't worry, kind soul, I won't tell anyone that you were the one who suggested this."
This only makes things even more unsettling, honestly.
Nakahara Chuuya walked over, frowning as he looked at Sawada Tsunayoshi's wet clothes: "I didn't move, just like you said."
Let's go back and change our clothes.
Sawada Tsunayoshi snapped back to his senses and noticed that Nakahara Chuuya's expression was also off. After hearing his words, he first praised him for being well-behaved just now, then the two of them went back together.
Today's plan to find a job had fallen through. Sawada Tsunayoshi should have been happy about it, but the thought of that inexplicable boy left him feeling uneasy.
When Oda Sakunosuke returned, he quickly went to ask him if he knew the boy.
Oda Sakunosuke quickly thought of that person's name: "You mean Dazai Osamu, right? He's a very interesting child."
What do you mean, interesting!
What kind of freak are you!
Perhaps because Sawada Tsunayoshi's gaze was too strange, Oda Sakunosuke offered a rare explanation: "He is a child who is different from most people, but he has no ill intent; you'll understand after seeing him a few more times."
Sawada Tsunayoshi hadn't expected their so-called reunion to arrive so quickly. He had already fallen asleep for the night when he heard a familiar bang. He carefully got out of bed and opened the window to look down.
A boy named Dazai Osamu sat squatting on a trash can, boredly tapping on his phone while playing a game; in front of him was a group of men in black, surrounding two blood-soaked corpses.
Chapter 85: Literary Stream Day 5
What a disaster!
Port Mafia!
And an official, too!
Nowadays, the prestige of the Port Mafia is being dragged down by these young people. Just think about it: in a qualified Port Mafia faction, if a dignified old man steps out of a stretched Lincoln and a young boy who looks like he hasn't even graduated middle school steps out, who is more trustworthy?
Isn't that obvious?
The older generation makes this organization seem to have profound foundations, while the younger generation makes it seem like the organization was just started by a bunch of Chuunibyou boys.
Of course, Sawada Tsunayoshi selectively ignored the fact that he himself was also a young man, that his Guardians were all young men as well, that he was about to become the Vongola Tenth Generation, attend various events, make decisions all on his own.
The first moment he saw Dazai Osamu, he remembered that children really do need to go to school; being so young and having left his family without receiving an education, it is truly easy to go astray.
While he was lost in thought, Dazai Osamu also felt someone watching him, his gaze immediately locked onto a furry head peeking out from above.
Oh, it's that scatterbrain I met today.
Thinking this, he put away his game console and waved his hand toward the upper level.
He reached out a fuzzy finger and pointed to his own face, asking, "Are you calling me?"